Diamonds & Gold: A Metal and Stone Verse Prompt Fic Series
by Miss Meggie
Summary: Prompt fics for the Metal & Stone Story Universe! You can PM me prompts here or on tumblr: Megha84! I hope you enjoy the marital ups and downs and general hijinks of Ward & Simmons
1. Cinnamonfa:the begining

AN: I own nothing but Calla James and I've made Jemma 29 in present time and Ward is 32 in present time.

"So how'd you meet?" Skye asked.

"Well…"

-/-/-

Jemma is seventeen and brand new to SHIELD Sci-Ops Academy when she meets Grant Ward at a party thrown by her friends Trip and Fitz who seemed make easy friends with both sides of the academy. She goes because she needs a break from her studies.

She could go monopolize Fitz but thinks maybe making other social connections could be important for them so even though it makes her nervous she journeys down to the boiler room all on her own in her favorite midnight blue dress.

She makes it inside too before her nerves are feeling jumpy. She goes to the bar and orders a vodka cranberry like she'd seen done on sex in the city. Right now she was a fun free Carrie Bradshaw sort of girl.

She sipped the drink… Nope she was definitely a Charlotte York girl. Maybe if she just kept sipping it get better and less whatever that was. She's most of the way through the drink feeling warmly buzzed when she notices him.

Whoever he is he stands and stares at her from a darkened corner for a good ten minutes. Like a creeper.

She downs the remainder of her drink and approaches the dark corner containing the creepy starer. The alcohol must make her feel bold because what she says shocks even her. "If you are going to stare at me like a stalker all night it's only polite to introduce yourself after the first ten minutes."

This startles a laugh out of her stalker and he steps from the shadows. Oh bollocks he's very attractive.

"Grant Ward… I'd apologize for the staring but I'm not sorry." He offers his hand and she tentatively shakes it.

"Why not?"

"You stand out in the best way possible."

She can feel herself blushing but is helpless to stop it. "Oh well…thank you I suppose."

He smiled like he wasn't used to the action. "And your name would be?"

She smiled at hm. "Bloody hell…I've mucked everything up I'm Jemma, Jemma Simmons."

-/-/-

They spend that whole night talking and promise to keep up with each other. Jemma doesn't expect someone like Grant to have must interest in her but he keeps the promise. He calls her on Sunday's on the dormitory phones where they spend their allotted twenty minutes talking over their weeks in hushed tones like if they're overheard whatever it is they're building will shatter.

Sometimes he doesn't talk at all just listens to her rattle on and on. When she stops to check on him he'll say "You're helping Jem…keep going."

He shows up to her dorm one day. "I need you to teach me to Waltz. May offered but…I want you." the tail end of the sentence shocks her but she tries not to let it show.

Grant is a completely hopeless dancer and she's sure she will have bruised toes for a month but being in his arms feels nice and mostly makes up for the abuse inflicted on her toes.

She even tries putting on an upbeat song just to loosen him up a bit it doesn't work. Grant is not loose. If she desires to dance in the future it will have to be with Fitz or own her own.

Shortly after the dance lesson Grant is sent on his first pre-grad test mission. He's gone about three months and she gets a single postcard with a Lord Byron quote on the front in a hand written decidedly feminine scrawl. "Friendship may, and often does, grow into love, but love never subsides into friendship." She smiles wondering which of the female specialist he sought to write out the quotation. She flips it over and the only words not redacted by little black squares are… "The weather is nice." Along with "I miss you.-G."

She happens to be at the hub working on the Sonic Staff with Fitz when he returns from that first mission. There's always a lot of talk surrounding Grant because he's good. You'd have to be to have been mentored by the very lauded and scary Calvary. So when she first hears whispers of his name she lets them go.

"Yes! Ward May, and Romanoff barely made it out I hope my test run goes easier." She hears Trip telling Fitz.

"Is he very badly injured? I'd just like to know so I can warn Jemma. They've become quite the secretive item." Fitz says it lowly as though she's invisible.

"Jemma is standing right here!" She points out to Fitz.

"Not a scratch on him Miss Jemma. Last I saw he was in the mess hall." Trip reports with a trademark grin.

She takes off at a dead run dodging people and crates and general chaos. She sees him standing in the food line. He looks tired and a bit dirty but whole. That's important, he's in one piece. "Grant!" He turned and smiled at the sound of her voice. Before she fully comprehends what her body is doing she's leaping into his arms.

She doesn't give him time to speak before she's kissing him. He tightens his grip on her and kisses back like he means makes her whole body feel warm and tingly and she doesn't even care that the whole mess hall is making lewd noises at them. For their first kiss it's pretty damned perfect.

When they break for air he says. "Hi Jem." Like they hadn't just spent months apart.

-/-/-

He graduates a few months before her even though Jemma and Fitz had both been fast tracked. He's on a mission when she graduates the academy at nineteen. They've been dating a little over a year at that point.

He says it's because he'd missed their anniversary and her graduation that he plans their backpacking through Europe trip but May had told her the mission had gone badly and he was on mandatory R &amp; R. So she kept an eye on him for May.

-/-/-

She watches him closely but he slowly starts to decompress and so she finds herself relaxing and enjoying the trip.

They're standing in front of the Trevi Fountain when he says. "I love you." He gives the hand he's holding a little squeeze. She finds herself smiling at him. He doesn't say the words often. "I love you too."

"Let's get married. Now, today." He said looking at her intently behind his sun glasses how she knows it's an intent expression in his eyes she can't tell you. She just knows.

She has to tread careful here. Grant's feelings are more tender than he'll ever admit to anyone even her. "Grant I'd love that. I just would hate for it to be something you come to regret."

"The only thing I'd regret is not binding myself to you in every way I can when I had the chance. I love you and I don't say it or show it enough but I do. With what I do what we do we're taught love and connection can be your downfall I don't believe that. I know that you give me reason to keep going when I want to quit. You're the one person I fight to come home to Jem. I'll be damned if I give it up. What'd ya say?"

She swallows past her sudden tears. "Okay, Yes!" he leans in and kisses her. "Now that, that's settled I think I saw jeweler's that way." She said with a big grin.

They buy rings and wrangle a priest into marrying them on the Spanish Steps. The vows are the simple generic ones but that's okay, they still mean the world to Jemma. She says hers in English but Grant repeats his in fluidly perfect Italian with the biggest smile she's ever seen on his face.

They exchange rings and her heart goes a bit racy on her as they kiss making the whole thing real and legal.

She's married….wow…that's a bit bizarre. Before she can over think things she looks up into Grant's eyes and knows she has made the right choice.

They flag down a fellow tourist to take their picture.

-/-/-

It turns out when you step foot into the Triskellion's main building your badges automatically scan for newly incurred data…like marriages. They're automatically taken to the highest ranking agent's office. Jemma doesn't have an SO like Grant. She thinks she may get off easy until she sees Nick Fury standing imposingly next to Melinda May.

Grant so confident and sure of the choice now looks ready to bolt. She'd be hurt if she didn't fully understand the way Grant worked. Approval and being the best matters to him.

"What have you done?" Director Fury asked and Grant seems somehow frozen.

"Nothing illegal sir we got married." She pipes up intending to help Grant who is utterly shell shocked and suddenly mute

"You know interpersonal relationships with other agents is both highly frowned upon and in some cases prohibited." He says sternly but Jemma is not deterred.

"With all due respect sir I'm not Barbra Morse and he is not Lance Hunter."

"Jemma…" Grant tries to warn her but she's got a good head of steam it be best for him to let her vent it,

"No I've got this one love." She waves him off and she catches the edge of a smile from May.

She continues on. "Next you're going to say our marriage could be seen as a kind of weakness and used against us and you may be right. After all I've no control of the perception of others but they will only mistake that love for weakness once and they will sorely regret it. Then you're going to say public knowledge of this might endanger us…Grant can take care of himself and well I will use my knowledge to remove the threat to my safety. Being smart has perks sir and if even that doesn't work? He taught me how to kill someone with a paper clip and my thumb." Fury smiles at her just a little.

"She's a fun one huh son?" He directs at Grant who nods dumbly.

"And if we needed to erase the physical records at some point?" Fury pushes.

She tries to project nonchalance. "Do it, It'd pain me to see it happen sir but if it was the last option I'd understand. No matter what you do Director Fury we will continue to live as a married couple. You can't stop us because if you try? I'll leave SHIELD and we both know you don't want that with as many resources have been sunk into "Fitzsimmons." And all that. It'd be a shame honestly. I wouldn't test it if I were you sir. "She finished with an easy smile and sharp confidence in her eyes.

"I do believe that's the nicest I've ever been threatened." Fury grinned and held out his hand "I suppose congratulations are in order then." Grant gapes a moment then shakes the director's hand as does Jemma.

-/-

"I can't believe you told off the director of SHIELD Jem!" Grant whispers in a disbelieving hiss in the offices antechamber.

"I didn't really tell him off so much as state the facts as any good scientist would." She replied kissing his cheek and walking ahead of him.

-/-

Skye's voice pulls Jemma her reminisce. "So if you're married why didn't it show up when I wiped your identity?"

"Fury redacted and or destroyed all traces of our marriage when a terrorist had Grant on his hit list. We'd been married all of six months. I try not to think of the fact that SHIELD erased everything I loved or made me who I was otherwise I just get bitter."

Grant strode into her lab .He points to the girl she had stocking shelves. "Calla you still have training despite the fact that you and the other kids are on the way to the Sandbox. You too Skye stop pestering Jemma for details."

Skye only looks mildly offended. "I wasn't… okay so I was but really come on she married you? You?" She leaves the lab trailing behind a displeased looking Calla.

"Oh that reminds me…catch Jem." He tossed her his ring. He wears it occasionally now whenever it doesn't impede a mission or a task. "Have to help Mack fix the SUV. Starter crapped out."

"It's safe." She slipped the band into her lab coat pocket with her own ring.

He turned her music back up Fitz was asleep so the music of James Bay kept her company.

"Love you Jem."

"I know." She said with a contented smile.


	2. Anon: An Unwanted Guest

Jemma is checking things over in the kitchen when she hears the van pull up. "Babe Tom's here be right back."

As she's coming around the stove and out the kitchen door she can hear Grant getting Tom's wheelchair inside.

"Hey Tommy How ya been?" Grant leans down to hug his brother and Thomas hugs back. His coordination is a bit wonky due to his Cerebral Palsy as a result of the well incident no one ever talks about.

Jemma knows Grant treasures every single one of those hard won hugs. "Good. Miss you." Tom says the edges of his speech slurred and hard for anyone who's not a family member to understand.

Jemma smiles when Grant kisses Tom's forehead. "Missed you more, ready for the game?" Grant is affectionate with no one but herself and Thomas.

"Patriots…" Tom says. Jemma smiles wider it's an old argument but the brothers love to wind each other up over the sports team.

"Suck." Grant retorts.

"Liar." Tom returns making Jemma laugh.

"This again really boys?" Jemma said walking up behind Tom's chair to wrap him in hug. "Pats fan til I die. Hi Jem." He turns his head and kisses Jemma's cheek.

"Hey Tom any new hot nurses at the facility?" She asked leaning on the chair.

"Eh you're prettier…" Tom says with a charming smile.

'What'd I say about flirting with my wife?" Grant feigns hurt feelings and crosses his arms giving off a sour disposition. Which both Tom and Jemma see through.

"If I steal her don't do it where you can see." Tom replied.

Helix jumps into Tom's lap and he startles at the action but soon calms. The cat lays herself across Tom's chest to make it easier for him to cuddle up to or pet her. Helix generally hates anyone who isn't Jemma but makes an exception for Tom."

-/-/-

Jemma leaves Grant to visit with Tom a bit and goes to check the turkey. Since they've joined Coulson's team they have had less time to spend with Tom. When Jemma was strictly an in lab scientist she would go to the nursing facility he was in and check on him at least three times a week with or without Grant.

She'd bring him treats and dinner. New audiobooks things like that.

She can hear them laughing in the next room it makes her happy.

-/-/-

She putters around the kitchen checking various pots, pans, and pumpkin pies. Grant likes it so she makes it even though she thinks pumpkin pie is a bit cloying to the pallet. A buzzer goes off in the distance behind her. Bugger it all she'd left an experiment in the incubator. She hurries to remove it before Grant can find her out. He's very persnickety about her working on holidays but honestly He'd built the lab for her what does really expect. Besides that this experiment is extremely time sensitive.

She cleans up her lab mess without detection and goes back into the living room. The team having just arrived. May uncharacteristically hugs Tom. There are greetings all round. She watches as Grant introduces Skye to Tom. Skye looks a little curious but not in a harmful way.

Skye finally free of long held "Pats debate" comes over and hugs Jemma. "Happy Thanksgiving Simmons."

In a break from the kitchen she sits between Skye and Bobbi as everyone talks over one another or shouts needless obscenities at the TV displaying the Americanized football she truly doesn't give crap about. Skye pulls her and Bobbi in for a selfie. "No social media posting Skye." Grant and Coulson say at once. Skye's slightly pouty expression makes Jemma smile. She deserves some recompense. She picks up her own phone and goes over to stand between Tom's chair and Grant's incredibly pitiful lazy-boy. "Thanksgiving photo boys?"

"No." Grant said plainly.

"Do it, we both know I can make you…" She counters. He sighs and scoots closer to her. "And don't scowl my love… Smile!" She said sweetly but she knows Grant hears the steel behind it.

"You forgot smolder. He can smolder." Tom teases.

"Shut up both of you." Grant gripes halfheartedly. They smile and she snaps the photo.

"Duck faces?" she asks just to rile Grant.

"Screw you." He said without heat.

"Another time Darling I think I'm burning the dinner rolls." Everyone laughs and Trip chokes on his beer.

-/-/-

They all sit down to eat and Skye sits next to Tom. Grant sits on his other side to help him eat.

"So give me all the dirt you have on Ward…." Skye leans in conspiratorially to whisper.

"You'd have to go on date with me first." Tom flirts. Jemma can see a smile fliting around the edges of Grant's mouth. Tom is 26 but with his disability women often think he's a child in a man's body but honestly that couldn't be farther from the truth Tom is a man in a broken body but still a man with normal mental capacity even if he can't physically express himself Tom is fully present.

Jemma knows it pains Grant at times to see the lost potential his brother lives with but there are other times you don't see it all. When Skye flirts back like it's nothing it makes Jemma smile. "I'm down, just don't make me do pushups and we're good. Ward's queer for pushups." Grant chokes back a laugh himself.

Then again she shouldn't be surprised Skye's has always been someone who goes deeper than the surface.

The doorbell rings and Bobbi hops up. "Got it."

"It's probably my parents. Daddy always gets turned around on the freeway." Jemma said piling pea salad on her plate.

-/-/-

"Not your parents Jemma. "That voice is like being hit with ice water. Grant drops his fork and his whole b0dy tenses. Tom jerks at every work like he's afraid of being trapped or worse hit.

Jemma is going to be the only one to find her voice she thinks. So she takes control. "Christian what are you doing here?"

"A man can't visit his family for the holiday." He retorts staring her down with flat distaste in his eyes. She can hear Tom beginning to panic his breathing is becoming rapid and he's trying not to cry, Grant isn't doing much better his hold body is set like a spring his expression so dark it could freeze a centipede solider in his tracks. He gently puts a calming hand on Tom's back and doesn't leave his brother's side.

Jemma gets to her feet, "You must not value living senator. I said if you disrupted my family ever again I was going to kill you. I mean what I say." She comes around the table to face off with him.

"You got a lot of big talk for such frail woman. Do you know who I am? What I could do to you?"

Jemma smiles sweet as cherry pie. She picks up Bob's napkin ring shaped like cardinal. It's tiny tail very sharp. She whirls it delicately on her index finger as she speaks. "You clearly have no idea who I am Christian. I could kill you with ten objects in this room alone. Marry specialist you pick things up. Physicality is for the weak in my opinion. I could poison you though or maybe I'll give you a disease of my own creation it. It will boil your body from the inside leaving you to drown in your own blood much like Tommy! It only seems fair after all…oh and your skin melts off too. It'll slide right off your pretty little liars face like Teflon. Do you want to test me Christian? Leave my home now. That is the last of my grace and kindness to be used up by you. Next time I shall undoubtedly kill you with the malice and perverse pleasure your evil deeds demand."

Christian turns and walks out. "I'd hate to see what Chinese Christmas is like." Coulson broke the silence.

Leo and Tom share a look like they're perpetuating an old inside joke and then burst into laughter.

Like magic Jemma doesn't believe in the tension lifts away from the room. Everyone else laughs. "Remind me not to fuck with Mrs. Ward." Hunter jokes.

"Nonsense Lance you only make an enemy of me when you harm what I love." She replies.

-/-/-

All their guests gone and Tom back at the nursing facility he calls home. Jemma sat on the tub's edge applying lotion to her arms and legs as she watched Grant brush his teeth. "Speak your mind Darling I can feel you thinking from here." The muscles in his bare back still held tension in the muscles.

He sighed and spit out his tooth paste before twisting to look back at her. "When does he stop popping up like a demented Jack in the box I mean really we live in a shield protected section of a damned canyon?! How did he find us Jem? And the thing is if he found us he can find Tom! He probably has found Tom; this was just his way of telling me he can strike at any time! "He rinses his toothbrush putting it in the wrong holder slot. She bites down on the urge to correct it. She watches him wipe his mouth before replying.

"So can we Grant. I will never understand how he can make you forget who you are. That little visit is the only grab for power he can make anymore. The only pay off he can get is rattling you Grant! You're the best agent in his field since Romanoff. I'm not saying kill him though I'm sure it'd be satisfying. What I'm saying is show him he can't push you around anymore and he'll go away."

Grant shakes his head and then looks back her with so much pain and anger in his eyes it makes her breath catch. "I wanted to kill him for making Tommy afraid. If he dares to come around Tom again I am going to kill him Jem and I won't feel bad about it."

She nods accepting the threat. She knows what her husband is capable of but if it was killing his brother he'd of done it ages ago. "Tom handled it a great deal better this time. I was rather proud of him. "She thinks briefly of the severity of the panic caused by the last visit. Tom had refused to bathe for a week. The water having triggered his PTSD.

Grant pulls her to her feet and walks behind her toward the bed room. She likes him like this despite his intensity he always held her gently. Like she was the only thing that held value for him and he would change and bend any way needed to protect her. He kissed where her neck met her jaw. "Ooh you just reminded me! Did you feel any latent Beserker related rage at the sight of Christian? I'm curious if the lingering effects of the staff are as long lasting as the professor predicted." He kissed down her shoulder as they reached the foot of the bed still wrapped up together.

"I couldn't tell the old rage from the new it was all one thing. How did me kissing your neck bring this line of questioning forward?" She steps away from him regretfully to turn down the bed.

"Lust was how you expended the rage last time as it is your normal coping mechanism for stressors. It was only more frantic than usual if I recall and you spent twenty minutes berating me for wearing my hair down because apparently that is one of your things…"She crawls under side of the sheets

He stares down at her skeptically. He doesn't remember his irrational anger spell. "It is yes but I think the proper sexual buzz word for that is kink."

"I suppose but anyway you yelled at me for wearing my hair down on the bus…because the bus is a no go zone and then we had sex and you were mostly fine if not a little edgy. So yes kissing my neck made me think of our last go at angry sex which brought me around to my question. Would you care to have sex now it doesn't have to be of the angry sort either…"She retorted with an arched brow and sultry smile that she knows from experience will ensnare him.

He walks to his side of the bed giving her a slow burning smirk. "You proposition me in the weirdest of ways woman…but yes I'd like to have sex. First you need to remove your bratty cat from my pillow." He points to the offending feline.

"Helix! What have I told you about the pillows girl? "She gripes shooing the cat off.

"She's a rebel." Grant said flipping over his pillow for double assurance.

"She didn't learn that from me. If I didn't know better I'd think she was your cat."

Grant laughed for the first time in hours. "You're going to be the best Mom one day Jem."


	3. Cinnamonfa: Accquiring Helix

He thinks of getting her a companion as he listens to one of a dozen voicemails she'd left on his dedicated line. His voice isn't even on the SHIELD standard recording but still she leaves him messages for when he's returned from missions.

"So then…thermodynamic regulator flies off and…" He's not actively listening to the science talk just to the cadence of her words that speed up in her excitement. Okay so the mental image of Fitz diving for cover in a trash bin is quite comical. The laugh it pulls from him jars his bruised ribs.

He bites back a groan and slides the ice pack across the offended area. Fucking tiny Asian packed some serious power. He tunes back in on her voice. "So I was thinking of making that Coq Au Vin ala Italiana you ordered in Rome. I thought you might like it as your next welcome home meal…" She sighed. "I really wish that they would let you attach your name to your bloody message machine so I could at least feel as if I'm speaking directly to you thus disabusing me of the idea that an agent is listening in our proposed dinner plans. They don't actually do that do they I mean that's the whole point of a dedicated channel correct? It's creepy…Oh No! Bugger all Fitz! I must go. Stay safe love." The line clicks off and he forwards to the next call.

"Okay love I am to that point where I've gone so long without contact from you on mission that I fear you may in fact be dead and no one wishes to inform because they think I'll lose my mind or something which is completely possible given proper thought." She makes a sound that is eerily similar to a whine. "Please disapprove my dead Grant theory and call me. I miss you love, truly. I love you I'm going to ring off…"

He ends the call and calls her back. He's still got debriefs but he can still disprove her dead theory first. He dials up the dedicated line she shares with Fitz. Getting their voice mail is much more entertaining. "Hi you've reached Fitz…"

"And Simmons wait…That's technically not my surname anymore." Jemma pipes up.

Fitz sighs heavily. "FitzWard sounds just… off… so we're FitzSimmons!"

"Bio Chem." Jemma gets them back on track.

"Engineering." Fitz tacks on.

"We're unable to come to the phone because we're inventing invaluable SHIELD Tech."

"We could be doing that yes…Simmons is likely curing something."

"Or dousing whatever it is you set a blaze…" Jemma points out smugly.

"You make it sound like that happens quite often when is patently untrue." Fitz replies.

"Oh Bollocks we're running out of space…."

"Leave us your theories and thoughts at the tone. Anything else Jem?"

"Oh yes leave me a message G! It will brighten my day." She said brightly.

"It's all about bloody Wa-"The machine cuts Fitz off with a firm BEEP!

No matter how many times he hears the recording he smiles. Just as he's about to say something there's pounding on the door to his quarters. "I'm not dead and I love you. Be home soon." He says hurriedly and then he hangs up, He tosses aside the ice pack. He checks his gun index finger carefully sliding over for good measure as he looks through the peephole. Barton stands there looking antsy like he's ready to get this debrief over so he can jet off on his own again.

"Yes? " He says after yanking the door open.

He leans impatiently into the door way. "You ready? Or are you still mooning over Jemma."

"I don't moon I was simply returning her voicemails its called common courtesy."

"How many this time?" the other man asked.

"An even dozen." He replies.

Barton whistles lowly. "Slow work week for the little woman?"

Romanoff scoffed from behind Barton. Like she appeared as if by magic. "She's lonely you jackasses."

"What do I do about it from here?" He asked them. "I thought about getting her a pet for company. I could wait until the long term mission is through but she seems lonesome now."

"You could get her a plant… or maybe have some exotic fish?" Barton offers up.

"Does she even like animals Ward?" Romanoff asked giving him a skeptical look accompanied with an arched brow.

"Cats… She prefers cats over dogs."

"Still… I'd wait Sparky." Romanov advises. "SHIELD mail systems are unreliable at best."

"Nat's right don't mail your wife a cat. Now quit gossiping and drag your asses to debrief." May says from the doorway of the CO offices farther down the hall from his quarters.

Half way through the briefing with Agent Hand a page brings him a letter. The top corner bares Director Fury: Triskelion Offices. His stomach drops but he tears the envelope open. Inside is a single sheet of paper.

Agent Ward,

Due to your impeccable work in the Ossetia's last month you have incurred the wrath of the enemy forces leader as such there is a bounty on you head upwards of half a million in American currency. It saddens me to inform you that this particular leader's favorite way to bend targets to his will is to use their wives, sisters, mothers and daughters as leverage in unmentionable ways I will not detail in this letter.

It is with much regret that I must inform you that all traceable attachments you have to one Jemma Simmons have been very effectively and permanently erased. For her safety and yours, you are no longer married under any law American or otherwise.

Please dispose of this data in standard SHIELD manner in the way of incineration to ash.

Also, if you would be so kind as to discourage your lady from leaving or punishing SHIELD for this unfortunate course of action it would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Nicholas Fury, SHIELD Agency Director.

He feels a bit nauseous and not because he can picture Jemma's face. The knit of her brow, the set of her jaw he can see the disappointment and pain hitting her like a blow as she reads her own professionally worded dissolution of their marriage.

That's not even the worst part and that in itself is horrible but the absolute worst part is the way those words taunt him. _You are no longer married under any law American or otherwise._

The worst most sickening part of this whole thing is he has nothing tying him to the only person he'd ever wanted to call family.

He must look pale because Romanoff touches his arm. "Ward you alright there Sparky?" She asked in an oddly gentle tone.

He looks to May standing off to Hand's right. "I need to request leave ma'am…"

May looked at him strangely. "By order of SHIELD I'm no longer married. Jem? She's not going to take this well despite her protests otherwise. I know my wife."

-/-/-

She has her back to him frown deeply carved on her pretty face as she concentrates. He's been working with her on situational awareness Jemma's main weakness in this skill set is her lax attitude toward her surroundings. She believes everyone she works for and with has her best interest at heart and that no one would harm her. It's a sweet thought but Grant knows firsthand from his childhood and from his field work that it's likely the farthest thing from the truth.

So he works with her. Teaches her to pay attention to where ever she happens to be. When something seems like it's missing or feels off. He teaches her to listen and stay alert.

Fitz is on the other side of the lab so he fogs the divider glass between sections .He approaches her from behind. He gets three feet from her when her instinct trips and she whirls on him scalpel held high and defensive ready to stab. He can't help but smile.

That's another think he taught asses what can be used as a weapon within arm's reach. "That's my girl…please don't stab me." He said with some pride.

She seems utterly confused by the tail end of his statement. "Why would I?"

"The letter, it was my idea to get married." He takes a cautious step toward her.

"Oh well that! I refused to read the letter in fear that you were dead. Fitz read it to me. At least you aren't dead….just,,," she dropped the scalpel on the table with a clatter. "Just…not… my…my… shit I thought I was done crying." She begins to crumble.

He pulls her into him and she cries into his shoulder holding on to him. It makes him want to cry with her. He wants to but doesn't. "Shh Jem, I just couldn't stand it if I let something as simple as a title and fancy paper were the things that signed your death warrant. Being my wife in name was too dangerous." He says words muffled into hair as he kissed the top of her head.

"But we didn't even make a year before they took it away." She laments voice still trembling and yeah that part stings even for him.

"I'm sorry baby, really I am." He whispers in reply.

She backed away just enough to wipe her eyes and look up at him. "I'm being foolish I know that. I'm sorry. I just didn't think that if it came to this it would be so improbably painful."

"Emotions aren't science Jemma. You aren't foolish." He answered tucking the hair failing from her ponytail behind her ear.

He holds her until she's more herself. "I have leave, what would you like to do? Movie? Dinner? Sex?" He offers.

She looks deadly serious a moment and he starts to worry. "I want to glitter bomb Fury in revenge it's petty but I want to do it."

He has questions to her theory. "What is a glitter bomb? Is it legal? Will we get fired? I'm not made for civilian work. I hate stupid people.

"Oh no darling it's perfectly legal just childish. You see you simply mail him a giant envelope of glitter and when he opens it BAM! There's a loathsome mess. It would make my heart very happy."

He laughs until his sides hurt. "Babe, one that mental image is hilarious but we would so get canned. Two: someone else opens his mail it would never reach your intended target. Three, you're vengeful and it's kinda hot…"

"Oh Wait I could give him chicken pox!"

"He'd know it was you. Come on lets go home. I'll let you rent "At First Sight." Again. We can order from that old diner you like." He drops a kiss on her mouth before turning her toward the door.

"I love that movie!" She says. "Fitzy!" She calls out. "It's your turn to lock up! I'll be in late tomorrow. Goodnight!" She cheerfully as they walk out.

"I know you've only forced me into watching it seven times." He seriously hopes she didn't leave anything on in the lab but if he points it out they'll never actually leave and besides Fitz is still here.

-/-/-

They order in greasy cheese burgers and fries. They sit cuddled up on the couch and watch movies with some scientific element. Jemma likes those kinds of movies to distract her from the components of life they can't control.

He tolerates "At First Sight." But he actually really likes "Awakenings." Jemma falls asleep half way through "Weird Science."

So he carries her to bed and tucks her in before getting himself ready for bed.

-/-/-/-

The next morning he wakes before her as is usual. He gets up and dressed to make a donut run when the bulletin board in their apartment lobby catches his eye. The local no kill animal shelter is over run in their neighborhood of the Brooklyn Borough. He remembers his initial plan to get Jemma a pet and sets on actually finding Jemma the proper companion.

As it turns out he finds the perfect kitten curled in the back corner of its pen. It's a little shy and very skeptical of him but it's a pretty animal. He takes out of its cage and inspects it's been spayed thankfully but still has its claws. "Oh old is she?" he asked the young girl in her volunteer garb eying the bakery bag he had set down in order to cuddle the cat.

"Pure bread Siamese short haired feline. She's three months old." He must scowl because the girl hurries on with her pitch as the kitten looks up at him as she digs her claws into his Hanes t-shirt.

"Oh she's already litter trained sir. She is very smart." She says brightly.

He adopts the cat and gives the girl a free donut. No one has to know he can be nice.

-/-

Carrying half a dozen donuts coffee and all things required for their new family member up three flights of stairs is as difficult as it sounds. He could have made two trips but come on he's a specialist he can do this. Besides, Nat wouldn't make two trips.

He sits their donuts and everything but the cat herself down.

He goes over to the bed where Jemma still lay. Instead of being curled up like before she's now spread out like a tiny starfish.

He lays the as yet unnamed cat in the center of Jemma's chest. The kitten meows and Jemma immediately awakens. "What in the-Oh you're quite the lovely creature aren't you?"

"Do you like her?" Grant asked crawling in bed beside her as Jenna pets a gentle hand down her taupe colored fur.

"She's so sweet. Wait is this an "I'm sorry we're not really married any more. Cat?"

He shakes his head. "No she's a you seemed like you could use some company while I'm away cat."

"I love her."

"Thought you might. The shelter girl said she was smart. I brought you bear claws and tea."

"Well you're buttering me right up aren't you?" She points out and he ignores the assumption.

"I'm going to go get the food. She needs a name." He said getting to his feet.

"Something scientific… Curie…" She calls from the bedroom.

He shouts from the kitchen as he picks up the bags "No and for the last time that's not a suitable name for a child."

"How about Double Helix? Helix for short?"

He returns to their bedroom. "Makes her sound villainous. I dig it. Can I train her to hate Fitz?"

"You are preposterous Grant Ward!" he sits down next tt0 her. He unpacks their food.

He hands her a bear claw. "You married me so what does that make you?"

"Delusional? Teasing, Darling merely teasing." She says laughing at his mockingly dark expression.

"Hey Jem?" He reached forward to pet the kitten that didn't seem to like him.

"Yeah?" She bit into her food sitting up against the headboard.

"No matter what anyone says you are always going to be my wife."

"Promise?"

"I promise you." He confirms smiling at her as she snuck Helix a bit of pastry.

AN: I own nothing but the plot. All movies mentioned are real I do not own them if you liked it leave me feedback please!


	4. Can't believe you talked me into this!

"I can't belive you talked me into this!" she grouses tugging down her skirt made from a scrap of black lace. "How'd you do that again?"

Nudiity and alchol mostly." Grant says pushing the elevator button.

"So sexual coercion." She says looking up into the mirrored ceiling. Heh no escape route. Not that she'd leave him high and dry but she should she so should.

"The consensual kind I suppose." He quips. "Stop fidgeting."

"Oh sod off would you? Being your hired slag is chilly business."

He laughs. "You make it look good though." He said giving her an up down glance.

"I'm wearing a postage stamp for a skirt it's not that difficult. What in the world made you think I'd make a good fake call girl?"

"Other than my desire to see you in a very un-jemma get up? Well there's the fact that you can hide our marriage like Houdini in a jumper." He smirks at her and it's an annoying as it is endearing.

She sighs. "That's because our safety is defendant on it." She tugged the skirt down yet again that's the last time she lets Skye pick her wardrobe though she did like the red off the shoulder top.

"Yes, well our only other options for this were May or Skye. Consider it like saving my life. Skye's still to new and May would murder me for a misplaced hand." He pulled her hand away from the skirt hem. He took her hand and kissed her palm. "You got this Babe, Relax." The elevator lands and opens he pulls her from it.

"Breathe…" he kissed the spot on her neck that disassociates her mind from her body. "I got you into this I'll get you out of it." He says as her body goes decidedly lax.

She goes to walk to the mark suddenly confident and he yanks her back against him. "I'm going to need you to stay in front of me Jem. You might not like the skirt but I definitely do."

She can hear Fitz making noises of disgust in her head from the comms. "I'm going to burn it. You will be doing Christmas card photos in exchange for this my darling." She said pulling him forward.


End file.
